aenold



(No Model.)

. H. P. ARNOLD.

BLOTTER BATH. I No. 378,641. Patented Feb. 28, 1888.

lhvrrnn Starts Parent @rrrea HENRY F. ARNOLD, OF MANCHESTER, IOWA.

BLDTTER=BATH.

$PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 378,64c1, datedFebruary 28, 1888.

Application filed June 4, 1887. Serial No. 240,302. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, HENRY F. ARNOLD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Manchester, in the county of Delaware and State of Iowa,haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in BlottenBaths; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification, and in whichFigure l is a perspective view of my improved blotter-bath, showing therack in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view ofthe same, showing the blotterpads in position in dotted lines. Fig. 3shows a modification, and Fig. 4 is a detail View of different forms ofthe rack or grate.

In all important correspondence it is often desirable, if notabsolutclynecessary, to keep a copy of papers and letters sent, which is mosteasily and quickly done by means of what is known as letter-press copy.To make good copies by this process requires that the pads ofblottingpapcr or other absorbent material should be of an oven moisturethroughout, which is an impossibility where the water is applied by theordinary means of a brush or sponge. To immerse them in water makes themtoo wet, and after they have been placed between dry pads until thewhole pile are of the right moisture an exposure to the the atmospherefor a short time will make them too dry. If they are placed in a closedvessel, the evaporation from them will be prevented, and if the vesselalso contains water the evaporation fromit will supply the amount ofmoisture which has been taken from the pads in using them; but suchvessel must have means whereby the amount of evaporation from the watercan be controlled, or the pads will be apt to become too moist orperhaps too dry.

My invention consists in the improved construction of a vessel of thisclass and of providing it with meansfor controlling the amount ofevaporation and of so placing the pads as to be accessible to themoisture at all points,

as will be hereinafter more particularly described, and pointed out inthe claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which the same letters ofreference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, A representsthe pan or bath, near the top of which is a bead or projection, B,against which the cover G fits when it is closed, thus making as close ajoint as possible to prevent the escape of the moisture. The side of thepan to which the cover is hinged is provided, if desired, with twobrackets, D,against which the cover rests when opened. A false bottom,E, is secured in the pan by means of ribs or projections F upon itssides at a little distance from the bottom of the pan; or short legs orsupports can be used instead, or the sides of the bottom may be turneddown to form supports. This false bottom is provided with slots orapertures G, preferably arranged transversely of the bottom and at itssides, either with or without leaving a solid portion, H, through itsmiddle. Upon this false bottom a slide, I, is secu red by means ofrivets J, which project through slots K, and also by having its edgespassed under the flanges L at the sides of the bottom, which are turnedup for that purpose; or the rivets may be omitted. This slide isprovidedwith holes or apertures M, which are of the same size andregister with the aper tures Gr in the false bottom, so that by movingthe slide back or forth, which can be done by means of the stud orbutton N at one end, the holes in the false bottom can be opened orclosed, as is necessary, to regulate the amount of evaporation.

A rack or grate, O, for supporting the pads I, which are only shown indotted lines, is supported at a short distance above this false bottomby means of supports T, which rest upon the false bottom. This rack ispreferably made or cast of some cheap non-corrosive material or ofmalleable iron and then galvan ized as light as possible to support thepads and provided with cross-bars Q, or. it can be made of a singlesheet of metal and the crossbars be formed by stamping out the materialbetween them, or it can be cut and folded back under the bars, as shownat R, thus making a stronger rack or grate; or, if preferred, the gratecan be made of a small sheet of wire screen having a piece of heavierwire around its edge to give it the requisite strength.

In some offices it is necessary to have two sizes of pads to accommodatedifferent sizes of paper, in which case the bath can be provided withtwo grates, one of them secured as above and the other hinged at oneedge to the side of the pan high enough above the other one to permit ofhaving a pile of pads between the two grates of one size and anotherpile upon the top grate of another size. Instead of having the supportssecured to or a part of the grates, they can be formed by securing ribsS along the sides of the pan at the required distance above theprojections F. By the use of the grate above the false bottom a betterresult is obtained as the evaporation from the water passes up throughthe apertures in the false bottom, and it permits of a free circulationof the moisture underneath the pads, which passes up through them aswell as on all sides and above them.

In using the bath a sufficient quantity of water or other suitableliquid, usually about half or threequarters of an inch deep, is placedinthe bottom of the pan, and the pads after being properly moistened orafter having been used are placed upon the grate and the lid closeddown, it and the pan being provided with a suitable fastening device tokeep them securely closed. In this condition,where they are exposed tothe moisture from all points, they remain until wanted for use again,the pile being turned upside down occasionally as the lower pads becomewetter than the top' one, as they are directly over thevwater.

By the use of my bath (which may be made out of galvanized iron or othernoncorrosive material and of different sizes to accommodatedifferent-sized blotters) all the bother and loss of time necessary withthe old style of wetting the pads separately with a brush or sponge isavoided and better results are obtained, as the pads are of such auniform moisture that the copy is neither too pale nor too much blurredto be easily read.

Having thus described my invention,I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States- 1. In a blotter-bath, thecombination of a pan, a closely-fitting lid or cover hinged thereto, afalse bottom within said pan, provided with apertures, means,substantially as described, for regulating the size of said apertures,and a grate above said false bottom.

2. In a blotter-bath, the combination of a pan, a closely-fitting lidhinged thereto, a false bottom within said pan, provided with apertures, a slide upon said false bottom, provided with apertures registeringwith the apertures in said false bottom, and a grate above said falsebottom.

8. In a blotter-bath, the combination of a pan, a closely-fitting lidhinged thereto, a false bottom within said pan, having a series ofapertures at each side transversely to the bottom, leaving a solidportion through its middle and having its edges flanged, a slide uponsaid bottom, having apertures, and a solid portion registering with thefalse bottom and having two slots in its solid portion, rivetsprojecting through said slots, a knob or button, and a grate above saidfalse bottom.

4. In a blotter-bath, the combination of a pan, a closely-fitting coverhinged thereto, ribs or projections upon the interior of said pan, afalse bottom upon said ribs, and a grate above said false bottom.

5. In a blotter-bath, the combination of a pan, a close-lyfitting coverhinged thereto, a false bottom Within the pan, and a grate above thefalse bottom, said grate consisting of a single piece of metal the edgesof which are bent down to form supports and having crossbars formedacross its body portion by cutting away the material between them.

6. In a blotter-bath, the combination of a pan, a closely-fitting coverhinged thereto, a false bottom Within said pan, agrate supported abovesaid false bottom, and a second grate hinged at one of its edges to theside of the pan above said first-mentioned grate.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HENRY F. ARNOLD.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. DUNHAM, CALVIN YORAN.

